Rovers dismal run of form continued on Saturday when individual errors contributed to a 2-1 defeat away at Westfield.
There was a bizarre start to the game. In only the third minute Cam Dobell and Westfields Billy Nutbeam were in a foot race down the right, with Nutbeam going down with a pulled hamstring. Inexplicably the official decided to wait for the Westfield substitute to warm up and get ready before restarting play, surely if the substitute is not ready you have to deal with the situation as a team until he is.
Westfield settled quicker after the delay and Samuel Balogun skipped passed a couple of would be Rovers challenges before seeing his shot blocked by Luke Ige. The hosts took the lead on nine minutes, a dinked ball over the top found Imran Kayani and as Rovers appealed in vain for offside, he raced through and calmly slotted low to Kacper Orlowski’s left.
Rovers had a very strong shout for a penalty on 11 minutes as Troy Walters was clattered in the Westfield area, but play continued and Rovers early frustrations built. Rovers were they starting to gain the ascendancy, with the widemen of Dobell and Osaretin Otete causing problems and on the quarter hour Otete skipped beyond Manolis Gogonas and his low cross was well defended at the near post by Dylan Merchant.
Rovers thought they had levelled on 16 minutes, having recycled possession after a ball was half cleared, Otete shrugged off a couple of challenges before curling home low beyond Lewis Gallifent, but this time the flag went up ruling out the strike for interference by Christian Gyamfi in the middle of the area. Tight but no leveller for Rovers. Dobell dragged an effort wide on 19 minutes as Rovers looked to make the most of their dominance.
Back at the other end and after a quick break involving Gogonas and Jack Beadle, the final ball into the Rovers area skipped away from the advancing Kayani and to Rovers relief drifted harmlessly into touch. Westfields Mayowa Adaje then got beyond Emmanuel Kwatchey but his delivery into the Rovers area was well defended at the near post by captain Bertie Lloyd.
Just before the half hour and good link up between Otete and Noah Africa led to a shot by Walters being well blocked by the Westfield backline. Almost immediately Rovers regained possession, Walters found Christian Gyamfi but his powerful shot was blocked on its way to goal by Merchant.
The game was swinging from end to end, Beadle and Balogun did well on the right and a dangerous ball into our area was well cleared by Charlie Stallard and back at the other end a Gyamfi shot from distance was half blocked and looped harmlessly back into the arms of Lewis Gallifent.
Otete and Walters then created an opening for Africa but his shot from the edge of the area went wide of the left hand post, and ten minutes from the break Orlowski had to be on his toes to pinch the ball away from the on-rushing Kayani.
Walters bought a decent low save out of Gallifent on 42 minutes after Otete had won a battle of strength with Merchant, one of many excellent passages of play between the two protaganists.
The equaliser came on the stroke of half time, having won possession back, Westfield player manager, the normally excellent Andy Crossley, gifted the ball back to Walters and he in turn found Gyamfi who hammered the ball into the top corner for 1-1 and sent the sides in level at the break.
Five minutes into the second half and Westfield had a glorious chance to retake the lead. Balogun threaded the ball between our backline to Kayani, who was denied by an excellent stop by Orlowski, with neither players seemingly seeing the raised flag. Crossley then found Lui Edwards and his low cross was turned behind by Stallard.
Rovers were then forced into a change with Otete making way for Francis Sey and on 53 minutes a long Stallard thrown bobbled around in the area with Crossley blocking a shot from Lloyd and Westfield launched the ball clear.
It was 2-1 on 54 minutes, and it was a calamity for Ige, as the Rovers defender gifted the ball back to Westfield on the deadball line, and a quick shift of angle saw the ball reach Adaje and he curled an unstoppable shot beyond Orlowski for 2-1. Rovers tried to respond but Sey was denied by Balogun and at the other end a low cross by Adaje was well defended at the near post by Ige, somewhat atoning for his earlier error.
A poor challenge by Crossley left Africa in a crumpled heap, and as play continued Sey was well tackled by Balogun as he looked to get away. Africa was unable to continue after the challenge, making way for new signing and St Lucian international Bayan Aman.
Lloyd had an effort gathered by Gallifent and from the quick break it looked for all the world as though Beadle would increase the Westfield lead, but Ige produced a remarkable goalline clearance to keep Rovers alive. Merchant headed the resultant corner straight at Orlowski.
Gyamfi shrugged off Merchant on 70 minutes to set up Walters but his effort flew high over the bar, and two minutes later Gallifent collected an Aman through ball with Gyamfi poised to pounce. We made another change with fifteen minutes to go, another debutant Tadjei Anderson replacing Dobell.
Unfortunately there was little to write home about towards the end of the game, and it meandered to its conclusion with neither goalkeeper being over exerted and Westfield secured all three points in a 2-1 win.
Frustratingly individual mistakes are costing Rovers at the minute, and more frustratingly it is some of the more consistent performers who are having an aberration each game. Things need to change as Rovers, following Wednesdays loss at Kingstonian have now dropped into the relegation zone.